Statistical machine



A. L. PAILTHORPE STATISTICAL MACHINE June 3, 1924. 1,496,358

Filed April 30 19?.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 h A Fig.1.

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Arm/w? L. 7 ,4 THOEPE June 3, 1924. 1,496,358

A. L. PAihTHORPE STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed April 39 19?.1 3 SheetsSheet 2 f i i luvs/wom- 3790/? Z. 7 IL'THORVE y M ,Q ,M

June 3 1924'. 1,496,358-

A. L. PAiLTHORPE STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed April .30, I92] 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNVEA/ToK: 14mm L 7311mm;

Patented June 3, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE.

ARTHUR LEONARD PAILTHORPE, OF WEST CROYDON, ENGLAND; MARY GERALDINE PAILTHORPE, ALAN HERBERT PAILTHORI'E, AND FREDERICK GERALD PAIL- THORPE, EXECUTORS OF SAID ARTHUR LEONARD PAILTHORPE, DECEASED, AS- SIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO POWERS ACCOUNTING MA- CHINE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

STATISTICAL MACHINE.

Application filed April 30, 1921. Serial No. 465,896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR LEONARD PAILTHORPE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Hampton Road, West C'roydon, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Statistical Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to statistical machines of the type employing cards or the like on-which items of information are recorded by means of perforations in certain specified ositions.

In such machines it is often required, quite apart from the particular operation carried out by the machine, to obtain from the cards assed through the machine the number 0 entries on these cards corre- 20 sponding to one or more items of information, and it is the object of the present invention to enable this to be done without having to pass the cards through a separate apparatus, thus economizing time, labour and expense. 7

The invention is readily applicable to sorting machines, and by way of example will be described in connection with a machine of this type such, for instance, as those forming the subject-matter of British specification No. 15,473 of 1912 or No. 128,207. 1

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the features of such a machine essential to a comprehension of the present invention Figure 1 is a section of the line 1-1 of Figure 2, showing the analyzing and counting mechanism in its raised or inoperative position;

' Figure 2 is a section taken at right angles to Figure 1 on the line 22 showing the mechanism in its lowered or operative position.

Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged views of a detail, shown in different stages of operation.

Figure 5 illustrates a modification of the invention in which an adding or like machine is employed to perform the required registering or recording operation.

In sorting machines of this type the cards 1 are successively passed beneath a set of analyzing pins 2 which as each card is beneath it, is moved toward the card in order that one or more of the pins may pass through any perforations existing in the particular row of numerals or the like over which the pin box has been set. The motion of the pin through a perforation is caused to operate mechanism such as a set of Bowden wires 3 whereby the destination of the card in question is determined.

5 In carrying the present invention into effect, I utilize either as illustrated the set of analyzing pins 2 above referred to, or

one or more separate sets, also arranged above the position into which the cards 1.

are successively brought, and adapted so that they can be located above any desired row of numerals or the like on the card. Each pin of each set is provided with a corresponding counter 4, and the connection between the pin and its counter is such that each time the pin passes through a projection in a card the counter is operated to move forward one unit. Since each perforation of a card represents, according to its position, a given item of information, the total number of cards passed through the machine upon which a given item of information is recorded will be registered on the corresponding counter simply by placing the appropriate set of analyzing pins in such a position that the pin corresponding to the counter in question will be located over the correct perforation.

With regard to the means of connection between the pins and their respective counters, this may be varied in such a manner as may be found most convenient having regard to the general structure of the ma.- chine; for instance, the counters may be mounted on the machine itself and operated directly by the motion of the pins, or it may be found desirable to interpose links, rockers, Bowden wire or other suitable mechanism between the pins and their respective counters.

In the example illustrated the connection between the pins 2 and counters 4 is by upon a frame 8 which is adapted to be osmeans of a set of Bowden wires 5, each wire being provided with a stop 6 adapted to co operate with and spaced from a projection 7 on the Corresponding pin so that the pin is free to pass a short distance through a perforation in the card 1 before the corresponding stop 6 and projection 7 come into contact. Th pin analyzer is of the same general type as that'de'scribed in British patent specification No. 126308, being mounted cillated vertically on guides 9 means of eccentrics 10 fixed on a continuously revolving shaft 11. In this type of analyzer 1 each row of pins 2, of which in the example illustrated three are shown, is urged toward the card 1 placed in position for analysis by a catch 12 pivoted at 13. The upper end of this catch normally is kept resting on shoulders on the pins 2 by means of a spring 14, and thus as the frame 8 carrying the pivot 13 is oscillated the pins are brought downwards until their points rest on the card 1; their motion is thus arrested, but since that of the catch 12 continues the upper ends of these catches disengage from the shoulders on the ins, which are rounded to permit of this. he pins opposite which no perforation in the card 1 exists therefore remain resting upon the card while the catches continue their downward motion and rise again till their upper ends are engaged over the shoulders on the pins. In the case, however, of any pin opposite a perforation in the card 1, its motion can continue, and it will accordingly drop through the perforation until it abuts against the corresponding Bowden wire 3, or, in the case in which a separate analyzer is used for the counting mechanism, until the projection 7 comes in contact with the stop 6. The catch 12, howver, will have been rocked by disengagement of its upper end with the shoulders on the remaining pins in the same row and its lower end will engage with a shoulder 15 on the pin which has-penetrated a perforation and will pass under the shoulders 15 of those pins which remain raised on the card. Positive drive is thus imparted to the pin, and the corresponding Bowden wire I 5 is operated.

Coming now to the means by which the counters 4 are actuated. selectively, in accordance with the particular pin 2 which has passed through a perforation, on the spindle 16 of each counter is fixed a lever 17 provided with a pin 18 which. in certain positions of the lever 17. lies in the path of one of a series of projections 19 carried by a member 20, oscillating with the frame 8. Normally, as indicated, in the case of the upper and lower counters 4 shown in Figure 2, the pins 18 occupy such a position that they are not engaged by the projections 19. In the case of the middle counter illustrated in Figure 2, however, the lever 17 is shown as moved slightly to the right so that its pin 18 will engage with the upper side of the corresponding projection 19. ,This occurs as the member 20 is moving upwards and accordingly when once engagement has been secured between the pin 18 and the projection 19, the latter will serve to oscillate the lever 17 still further, and in fact the projection 19 is designed to move it sufiiciently to register one unit on the counter. This action is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, in the latter of which the lever 17 is shown oscillated to its extremeposition, the pin 18 being just on the point of leaving the projection 19 and returning behind it to its initial position, as shown in the case of the upper and lower counters, under the action of the internal spring of the counter.

The mechanism illustrated for causing engagement between the pin 18 and the corresponding projection 19 comprises a doubleended lever 21 loosely mounted on the spindle 16. This lever is fitted with a spring 22 which bears on its under side both above and below the spindle 16, so that it does not constrain the lever 21 in either direction. The Bowden wire 5 is attached to the upper end of the lever 21 and when the wire of a given counter is pulled this lever is rocked Slightly to the position shown in the case of the middle counter. This motion serves, by means of the spring 22, the end of which bears against the lower curved portion of the lever 17. tomove the latter to the extent required to cause engagement between the pin 18 and the projection 19. This action having taken place, the Bowden wire is released during the upstroke of the member 20. by the raising of the corresponding pin 2. and-the lever 21 returns to its normal position under the influence of a spring 23. The lever 17 is oscillated by means of the member 20 as above described, and is then returned so as to resume contact with the spring 22 in such a position that on its downward movement the projection 19 misses the pin 18.

By the use of the above described setting mechanism of the lever 17 as distinct from its actuating mechanism, namely, the member 20, it is possible so to arrange that the necessary oscillation of the counter spindle 16 is obtained with a very small movement of the operating Bowden wire 5, and a further advantage that in normal circumstances the internal spring of the counter is relaxed, is obtained.

Another method of connecting the actuating devices with the counters is so to modify the mechanism as to enable it to operate an adding machine such, for example, as the comptometer, which will register or record the cards bearing any given item of information. Such a modification is illustrated machine 24 is mounted so that each of its keys can be operated by a corresponding plunger 25, these plungers in turn being depressed by bell-crank levers 26. The pivots of these levers are mounted in substantially vertical slots formed in fixed supports 27, the pivot being normally retained at the bottom of the slot by means of a spring 28. The ends of the Bowden wires 5 are attached to the pivots and upon one of the pins 2 being depressed the pivot of the corresponding lever 26 is raised against the action of its spring 28 so that the lever engages with one of a series of notches 29 formed in a bar 30. This bar is reciprocated in synchronism with the pin box by such means as a cam 31 rotated by a band or chain 32 from the shaft 11, the bar being returned by the action of a spring 33. It will be seen that normally the levers 26 are out of engagement with the bar 30-but that when raised by the depression of one of the pins 2 the lever will engage with the corresponding notch 29 and depression of one of the keys of the adding machine will result. A registration or record, according to the kind of machine operated, of the number of cards bearing any desired item of information or of the sum of such items is thus obtained.

It will be obvious that the mechanism described is capable of construction and use as a separate machine as well as in combination with a statistical machine performing some other operation.

'Claims:

1. In a statistical machine employing cards on which items of information are recorded. means whereby the number of cards which contain any of such items as desired may be counted during one passage of the card through the machine comprising a plurality of analyzing devices co-acting with the cards, a counting mechanism for each analyzing device, means actuated by each analyzing device for setting each counting mechanism in the operative position and cyclical reciprocating means for operating each counting mechanism thus set.

2. In a statistical machine employing cards on which items of information are re corded means whereby the number of cards upon which any particular item is recorded may be obtained comprising a plurality of analyzing devices co-acting with the cards, a counter for each analyzing device, a lever connected to the spindle of each counter, a double-ended lever freely mounted upon said spindle co-acting with the counter lever, flexible means controlled by the analyzing means connected to the end of the double- I ended lever for setting the counter lever in the operative position, and cyclical reciprocating means for rocking all the counter levers thus set.

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification.

ARTHUR LEONARD PAILTHORPE.

signed my 

